Wasu tsaunuka da ke tsakiyar kwarin Oaxaca sun sami mafaka a ɗayan tsofaffin biranen nahiyar Amurka: Monte Albán, babban birnin al'adun Zapotec kuma mafi mahimmin cibiyar siyasa da tattalin arzikin yankin a zamanin da.
Ginin farko na jama'a da gine-ginen addini, tare da wasu ayyuka, kamar baranda, murabba'i, ramparts, fadoji da kaburbura sun fara kusan 500 BC, kodayake tashin Monte Albán ya faru tsakanin 300-600 AD. lokacin da garin ya sami wani muhimmin ci gaba a dukkan fannoni; Misalin wannan shi ne tsarin gine-gine na al'adu, wanda ya ƙunshi manyan tushe, waɗanda aka gina ta da ɗakunan bauta da aka gina don girmama gumakan noma, haihuwa, wuta da ruwa. Abubuwan sananne a cikin gine-ginen farar hula sune gidajen sarauta irin na marmari, hedkwatar gudanarwa na sarakuna da masu mulki; a ƙarƙashin farfajiyar waɗannan katanga kaburbura duwatsu an gina su har abada ga mazaunan su.
Sauran mutanen sun mai da hankali kan yankin sararin jama'a. Gidajen sun kunshi gine-gine masu sauki tare da tubalin dutse da bangon ado. A cikin birni akwai yiwuwar an kafa unguwanni daban-daban, gwargwadon irin aikin mazaunanta, kamar maginin tukwane, kayan kwalliya, masaka, yan kasuwa, da sauransu. An kiyasta cewa a wannan lokacin garin ya mamaye yanki na kilomita 20 kuma yawan jama'a ya kai yawan mazauna 40,000.
Komai yana nuna cewa Monte Albán ya sami faɗaɗawa ta hanyar mamayar sojoji, kamawar masu mulki masu adawa da kuma biyan haraji daga mutanen da aka yiwa mulkin mallaka. Daga cikin kayayyakin da aka tara a matsayin haraji da sauransu da aka samu ta hanyar musaya akwai abinci iri-iri, kamar masara, wake, squash, avocado, chili da koko.
A lokacin fure, maganganun al'adu suna nuna bambancin ayyuka da kere kere. A cikin Monte Albán, an yi kayan ƙasa don amfanin yau da kullun: faranti, tukwane, tabarau da kwanoni, da kayan kidan dutse kamar wukake, mashi, da kuma kwalliyar kwalliya.
A sarari yake cewa akwai tabbataccen bambanci tsakanin rayuwar gida ta yawancin jama'a da ta waɗancan ƙungiyoyin tsirarun masu hikima, firistoci da masu warkarwa, waɗanda suka tattara ilimi, suka fassara kalandar, suka annabta abubuwan da ke sama da kuma warkar da marasa lafiya. A ƙarƙashin abubuwan tarihin jagorancinsa, an gina wuraren ibada da duwatsu, kuma sun kuma jagoranci bukukuwa kuma sun kasance a matsayin masu shiga tsakanin mutane da gumakan.
Kusan 700 A.D. raguwar garin ya fara; manyan ayyukan gine-gine sun daina, yayin da raguwar masu yawa ya biyo baya; an bar wuraren zama da yawa; wasu kuma suna katanga don hana sojojin mamayewa shigowa. Mai yiyuwa ne cewa faduwar birnin ta samo asali ne daga karancin albarkatun kasa, ko kuma wata kila gwagwarmayar kungiyoyin cikin gida na neman iko. Wasu bayanai na nuni da kifar da shugabanni ta hanyar azuzuwan zamantakewar da ba su da tagomashi idan aka ba da kwatankwacin rashin daidaito da ya wanzu da kuma rashin damar samun kayan masarufi.
Garin Zapotec ya kasance ba kowa a ciki tsawon ƙarni da yawa, amma a kusan shekara ta 1200 AD, ko wataƙila ƙarni ɗaya da ta gabata, thean Mixtec, da ke zuwa daga tsaunukan arewacin, sun fara binne matattunsu a cikin kabarin Monte Albán; Mixtec din sun kawo sabbin al'adu wadanda za a iya gani a tsarin gine-gine; Sun kuma yi aiki a fannin karafa, sun yi littattafai irin na codex, kuma sun gabatar da kayan masarufi daban-daban da fasahohi daban-daban na yin yumbu, harsashi, alabaster da sassan kasusuwa.
Misali mafi bayyana na wadannan sauye-sauye na al'adu shine wanda ke da kayyakin aiki na musamman, na kera kamfanin Mixtec, wanda aka samo shi a kabarin 7, wanda aka gano a shekarar 1932. Amma, garin da aka kafa a saman dutsen ba zai taba dawowa da darajarsa ba, yana nan kamar shaida ce ta bebe game da girman magabatan da suka zauna a waɗannan ƙasashe.
